The European Commission continues to prepare the sixth EU sanctions package, based on which the EU would completely divest itself of Russian fossil energy within six months. If the oil embargo were to be introduced, the price of gasoline would immediately rise to HUF 700 and diesel to HUF 800. According to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the planned sanctions package is "an atomic bomb dropped on the Hungarian economy". If the embargo were to materialize, inflation would continue to rise, raw material prices would rise drastically, and this would ruin the economy. Origo asked Zoltán Kiszelly, director of the Political Analysis Center of the Századvég Foundation, about the Russian oil import ban planned by Brussels.

Oil is the gold of the 20th century, it is still the basis of the functioning of our society!

The XX. the gold of the 20th century is oil, but our mass societies are still based on mobility and now it still works with fossil energy. The majority of transport and traffic is powered by petroleum. Our mass society runs on fossil fuels and we need petroleum to operate it. Actually, Hungary solves this need by processing Russian pipeline crude oil. In Hungarian, if we want to operate our mass society: transportation, transport, and agriculture, we are dependent on Russian oil

- said Zoltán Kiszelly, director of the Political Analysis Center of the Századvég Foundation.

FOR US, THIS IS THE STARTING SITUATION, BECAUSE WE HAVE NO SEA AND THE ADRIA PIPELINE IS VERY OLD AND HAS A SMALL CAPACITY, THEREFORE, THE FUNCTIONING OF THE HUNGARIAN ECONOMY DEPENDS ON RUSSIAN PIPELINE OIL - he emphasized.

There is energy inflation in Europe, so if energy prices were to rise even more, inflation would rise even more, he added.

Zoltán Kiszelly emphasized that the government can slow down inflation with the gasoline price freeze and food price freeze, so Hungarian inflation remained around the EU average, while, for example, the Netherlands or the Baltic states, which use the euro, show much higher, double-digit inflation, despite the euro. Therefore, it is extremely important that energy imports are maintained.

In March, at the March meeting of the EU leaders in Versailles, they agreed on a 5-year transition period, i.e. until 2027. Within this, the separation from Russian fossil energy must be solved, and since there is currently no alternative for this in Hungary - neither in terms of crude oil nor natural gas - Hungary does not support the half-yearly separation proposed by Brussels.

- said the director of the Center for Political Analysis of the Századvég Foundation when asked by Origo

He added that Brussels' policy is hypocritical, because the deadline was November because the US Treasury Secretary requested that European oil purchases remain until the mid-term elections.

BECAUSE THE AMERICAN DEMOCRATS DO NOT WANT THE EMBARGO TO RISE ABOVE TWO DOLLARS PER LITER IN THE PRICE OF OIL IN AMERICA, BECAUSE THAT THREATS THE DEMOCRATS' ELECTION PARTICIPATION.

It seems that the oil embargo is not tailored to the needs of the European national economies, but to the election performance of the American Democrats. These are political games, with which they make the Europeans pay for the electoral success of the American Democrats. This is also why the embargo needs to be reconsidered, but also because there is simply no economic alternative in such a short time, emphasized Zoltán Kiszelly.

IT IS WORTHY FOR HUNGARY TO GET OFF RUSSIAN ENERGY IF IT ALREADY HAS THE ALTERNATIVE. THIS IS WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SAYS, THAT LONGER TIME IS NEEDED.

It seems that Hungary is also protecting democracy when it rejects the childish politics of Brussels, that something will be leaked to Politico on Monday and they want to vote on it on Wednesday. It doesn't work that way, especially not in issues of such weight that they leak to Politico and think that they will manipulate public opinion and all member states will jump at the click of a button. It is the defense of democracy that these proposals, which the Hungarian government advocates, must be thoroughly discussed.

Hungary pursues a considered policy, we support the goals of the union accepted by consensus, however, according to the March decision, within the 5-year deadline, the Hungarian government requests a longer transition period. The speed is determined by when the alternatives are available.

Zoltán Kiszelly told Origo all of this.

They wanted to push through the sanctions so quickly so that there would be no need to talk about it. The Hungarian government must persevere because it offers an alternative to the Brussels policy and democracy thrives on alternatives. As in the case of migration with the border fence, or in the case of Covid with Eastern vaccines, Hungary now also offers a workable alternative to reckless energy sanctions. Russia will be here even after the war, and from this point of view it is also necessary to think about the need to develop some kind of economic relationship with Russia after the war, taking geopolitical and economic rationalities into account

Zoltán Kiszelly, director of the Center for Political Analysis of the Századvég Foundation, emphasized to Origo.

Source and full article: Origo.hu

Featured image: CÖF